Verse: Exodus 2:23-25
Theme: Divine Remembrance, the Sound of Suffering, and God’s Perfect Timing Activated by Human Pain
“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died; then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”
— Exodus 2:23-25, New King James Version (NKJV)
“During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”
— Exodus 2:23-25, New International Version (NIV)
“After a long time the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned under their slavery, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition.”
— Exodus 2:23-25, Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Meaning of Exodus 2:23-25
Picture this: somewhere in the wilderness of Midian, Moses is settling into married life, learning the rhythms of shepherding, maybe bouncing baby Gershom on his knee. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, his people are reaching their absolute breaking point. The timing here isn’t coincidental; it’s orchestrated.
The death of the Pharaoh who wanted Moses dead changes everything, but not in the way you might expect. Instead of relief, the Israelites face even harsher oppression under new leadership. Sometimes when bad rulers die, worse ones take their place. The groaning that rises from Egypt isn’t just physical exhaustion; it’s the sound of a people who’ve finally hit rock bottom with nowhere to look but up.
Here’s what absolutely floors me about this passage: God “remembered” His covenant. Not because He’d forgotten; God doesn’t have senior moments, but because the time had finally come to act on promises made centuries earlier. Divine remembrance isn’t about memory; it’s about timing. It’s the moment when “someday” becomes “today.”
Those four verbs: heard, remembered, looked, acknowledged, represent the most hope-filled sequence in human history up to that point. After 400 years of silence, God is officially back in action. The cosmic gears are shifting, and Moses doesn’t even know it yet.
The Israelites’ cry “came up” to God like incense, like sacrifice, like prayer that can’t be ignored any longer. Sometimes our deepest pain becomes our most powerful prayer, even when we don’t realize we’re praying.
Popular Words of Wisdom from Exodus 2:23-25
“The night is darkest just before the dawn.”
— Thomas Fuller, English Clergyman
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus, French Philosopher
“God never abandons anyone on whom He has set His love; nor does Christ, the good shepherd, forget His sheep.”
— John Calvin, French Theologian
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness.”
— Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence Leader
“I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge.”
— Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer
Explaining the Context of Exodus 2:23-25
This passage marks a crucial transition in the Exodus narrative: the shift from individual story (Moses’ personal journey) to national crisis (Israel’s collective suffering reaching its crescendo).
The death of the Pharaoh creates both opportunity and intensified oppression. While it removes the immediate threat to Moses’ life, it apparently brings harsher treatment for the Israelites under new leadership.
The timing is deliberately parallel; while Moses is building his new life in Midian, his people back in Egypt are experiencing their darkest hour. God is preparing the deliverer while the need for deliverance reaches its peak.
The repetitive emphasis on God’s response (heard, remembered, looked, acknowledged) signals the end of the silent period and the beginning of divine intervention that will reshape history.
This passage sets up everything that follows: the burning bush encounter, the plagues, the exodus itself, by establishing that God has officially activated His ancient promises to the patriarchs.
Explaining the Key Parts of Exodus 2:23-25
“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died”
The phrase “process of time” suggests this wasn’t quick; Moses had been in Midian long enough to marry, have children, and establish himself. God’s timing operates on generational scales, not human impatience.
The death of this Pharaoh removes the personal vendetta against Moses while potentially creating even worse conditions for the Israelites, showing how political changes don’t automatically improve oppression.
“then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out”
The progression from groaning to crying out suggests escalating desperation. The Hebrew indicates this wasn’t just complaining but genuine anguish that could no longer be contained.
Their cry represents the breaking point where human endurance meets divine intervention; sometimes, we have to reach the end of ourselves before God begins His work.
“and their cry came up to God because of the bondage”
The imagery of cries “coming up” to God suggests prayer ascending like incense, reaching heaven despite the earthly circumstances that seemed to block all hope.
This divine hearing implies that suffering doesn’t happen in a vacuum; God is always aware, always listening, always preparing His response according to His perfect timing.
“So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant”
God’s “remembering” activates promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries earlier, showing how divine covenants transcend generations and apparent delays.
The connection between present suffering and ancient promises demonstrates how God’s plans often span timeframes that exceed human comprehension but never exceed His faithfulness.
“And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them”
God’s looking and acknowledging represent the shift from patient waiting to active intervention. This is the moment when mercy overcomes timing considerations.
The divine acknowledgment signals that Israel’s season of preparation through suffering is complete and its season of deliverance is about to begin.
Lessons to Learn from Exodus 2:23-25
1. God’s Silence Doesn’t Mean God’s Absence or Indifference
The 400 years between Joseph’s death and this moment of divine response show that God’s timing operates on scales that test but never break His faithfulness to His people.
2. Sometimes Suffering Must Reach Its Peak Before Deliverance Can Begin
The Israelites’ cry represents the culmination of centuries of oppression, suggesting that some deliverances require complete desperation to be fully appreciated and effective.
3. Human Extremity Often Becomes the Catalyst for Divine Activity
The moment when the Israelites could endure no more became the moment when God said, “Enough.” Our breaking points often trigger His breakthrough moments.
4. God’s Covenants Remain Active Across Generations and Apparent Delays
The connection between the present crisis and ancient promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demonstrates that divine commitments transcend human lifespans and circumstances.
5. Divine Remembrance Involves Perfect Timing, Not Failed Memory
God’s “remembering” represents the activation of long-standing plans at precisely the right moment, showing how divine delays serve divine purposes.
Related Bible Verses
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
— Psalm 34:17, World English Bible (WEB)
“He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”
— Psalm 22:24, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
— Psalm 27:14, English Standard Version (ESV)
“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
— Psalm 18:6, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
— 1 John 5:14, American Standard Version (ASV)
How This Verse Points to Christ
Exodus 2:23-25 points to Christ through God’s response to human suffering and His activation of ancient covenants, which find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus as the perfect deliverer of God’s people.
The Israelites’ cry reaching God parallels how Christ intercedes for us, ensuring that our prayers and sufferings are heard and acknowledged by the Father.
God’s remembrance of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob points to the New Covenant established through Christ’s blood, which provides eternal deliverance from spiritual bondage.
The divine sequence of hearing, remembering, looking, and acknowledging demonstrates the same compassionate response God shows through Christ toward all who cry out for salvation.
The timing of deliverance after long suffering mirrors how Christ came “in the fullness of time” when humanity’s need for salvation had reached its peak under the bondage of sin.
Moses’ preparation in Midian while Israel suffered parallels how Christ was prepared through His earthly life and ministry to become the perfect deliverer for all humanity.
Closing Reflection
There’s something gut-wrenching about the timing here. While Moses is learning to be a husband and father in the peaceful hills of Midian, his people back in Egypt are being worked to death under increasingly brutal conditions. It’s like watching two completely different movies playing out simultaneously.
But that’s exactly how God’s preparation often works, isn’t it?
The deliverer gets trained while the crisis reaches its peak. Moses needed those years of quiet family life and sheep-tending to develop the patience and humility he’d need for what was coming. You can’t lead desperate people effectively if you’ve never learned to wait yourself.
What gets me every time I read this passage is that fourfold description of God’s response: He heard, He remembered, He looked, He acknowledged. It’s like watching someone wake up from a long sleep and take stock of everything that’s been happening. Except God wasn’t sleeping; He was waiting for the exact right moment to move.
The Israelites probably thought God had forgotten about them entirely. Four centuries of slavery will do that to your faith. But their groaning finally reached the level where divine patience shifted into divine action. Sometimes our darkest moments become the very trigger for God’s brightest interventions.
I love how their cry “came up” to God. It suggests their suffering wasn’t just horizontal, person to person, but vertical, reaching straight to the throne room of heaven. Pain has a way of becoming prayer even when we don’t realize that’s what we’re doing.
The whole thing makes me wonder: what cries are coming up to God right now that He’s about to answer?
What covenants is He about to remember?
What deliverances is He about to unleash?
Say This Prayer
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
You hear the groaning of Your people even when we think You’ve forgotten us. Like the Israelites in Egypt, we sometimes wonder if our cries for help are falling on deaf ears.
Help us trust that Your silence doesn’t mean Your absence. When suffering stretches on longer than we think we can endure, remind us that You’re preparing both the deliverance and the deliverer in Your perfect timing.
Thank You that our pain has a voice that reaches Your throne room. Even when we can’t form proper prayers, our groaning speaks to You in ways that demand Your attention and activate Your compassion.
Give us faith to believe that You remember every promise You’ve made, even when circumstances make those promises seem impossible. Help us see that Your delays often serve purposes we can’t understand until we’re looking back.
When we’re tempted to think You’ve abandoned us in our bondage, remind us that You’re always looking, always listening, always preparing to act at exactly the right moment.
Thank You for Christ, through whom all Your promises find their “yes” and “amen,” ensuring that Your covenant love will never fail those who belong to You.
Help us wait with hope instead of despair, knowing that Your remembrance brings deliverance.
In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.